Organizations are looking towards HR software to help them in this regard. HR tools such as 360 feedback evaluations help organizations recruit, retain and engage employees. But to be as effective as possible, the software should be up-to-date as well. The new trends in HR software for 2014 are directed towards a talent-centric workplace.

In 2014, the trend of companies moving away from on-premises, legacy software continues. Organizations want web-based and web-enabled systems. Web-based software has both convenience and cost savings going for it. No downloading, no installation, no upgrading of company systems. And no need for additional hard drive storage.

Web-based software can also be scaled up or down, providing flexibility for small businesses. The ability to use the software from any device that can access a browser is forward-looking. Anytime, anywhere access across multiple devices provides another kind of flexibility. Importantly, it allows for the introduction of new devices into the market. By now we can expect that process to be ongoing and continual. It also gives a boost to productivity and efficiency that will be felt throughout the organization.

With advantages like this, why would anyone go back?

Big data is a big trend in HR in 2014. The more data, the better: the better to understand how to attract, retain and engage talent. But with the amount and complexity of data that is now easily available, the focus is on how to create value from it using analytics.

Employees without regular feedback are less engaged. Top performers who do not feel that the company is interested in their development will leave.

The data collected through 360 surveys can also be put to further use. 360 degree feedback data should form part of the performance data that determines the top performers. This in turn will give the organization the information it needs to develop talent.

Big data analytics is a challenge at the HR end. At the user end of HR software, the challenge is ease of use. As an HR professional, you want data, and lots of it. Big data is the only way to develop competitive strategies for recruitment, retention and engagement. But in many cases you will need to get that data from stakeholders. This means that you must have their full cooperation in the process. Accordingly, the trend is for user interfaces to become increasingly simple and intuitive.

Templates make HR software quick and easy to use. With a template, there is no need to start from scratch when you are creating a survey. You can benefit from the knowledge of the template’s creators.

However, forward-looking HR software vendors understand the importance of customization. Rigid, inflexible software is of limited use to HR professionals. HR professionals do not want to achieve efficiency by sacrificing precision.